Round up of Women & Leadership Links!

Let’s discuss the facts: we have less women leaders than we do men. Men have led for decades, making it “a man’s world.” Women have had to fight their way to the top, kicking at obstacles and glass ceilings. We know all these things to be true.

But this is what I, the next-generation thirty-year-old female that I am, would like to know: by denouncing femininity within the workplace – in lieu of simply encouraging leadership skills – are we making things more difficult for the next generation of female leaders who are comfortable within their own skin?

In fact, the rise of Lagarde and other female leaders feeds into the commonly held belief in the revolution from above — that is, female leaders are more able to represent women’s interests and promote the aspirations of up-and-coming women.

It makes sense that a female leader would be able to understand the particular issues of women and steer them through the mid-career maze. However, despite high profile female leaders, the number of women in leadership remains stagnant. What is the disconnect?

“Even in advanced countries, managerial posts in technology are held by men. A woman can bring the right ratio of fashion, passion and compassion to technology, which is why we need to shed fear of technology and make more women comfortable with it,” she said.

Through the survey of 1,001 girls ages 8 to 17, a portrait emerges of how young women see enduring barriers to their ability to assume leadership opportunities in a country where government and businesses are still dominated by men.

Among the key findings are that 3 in 9 girls think that while women can succeed in business, they rarely become corporate executives; and many believe they are more burdened by family than men as they try to succeed in their careers.

The results of the study were released as the Girl Scouts announced that it was throwing its clout behind a new campaign to cultivate the female leaders of tomorrow, saying too many girls are dropping out as contenders to be the next corporate executives or cutting-edge scientists.

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters devoted a major plenary session today to the role of women as leaders. Thailand’s Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, opened the discussion by announcing that Thailand plans to create a national women’s development fund to counter human rights abuses directed at women. She said that education is the most effective way of decreasing early pregnancies, the death of women in childbirth and infections of HIV/AIDS. In announcing the fund, Shinawatra further stressed that education is essential in equipping women to resist sexual aggression and to defend their rights. She added that Thailand plans to host the World Economic Forum on East Asia later this year and the role of women will be one of the major topics discussed.

Do you have any stories on women and leadership that you read and enjoyed this week? Please share it with us and comment below!